The Atlantic recently ran an article that shows how, with the right perspective, almost every major Disney movie seems to have pro-gay themes. And given the company's support of its LGBTQ employees, the Atlantic speculates that Disney is eager to support the gay community. But is the subtext really, there or are people grasping at straws?

The Atlantic cites a whole slew of themes from Frozen that might be metaphors for the LGBTQ experience.

Elsa hiding her ice-powers could be read as a metaphor for the closet, the Oscar-winning "Let it Go" plays like a coming-out anthem, and a character in the film evokes the question of whether homosexuality is a choice by inquiring of Elsa's powers, "born with it or cursed?"

Advertisement

The article also mentions movies like Dumbo and Pinocchio as examples, citing Dumbo learning to accept his own differences from the other elephants and Pinocchio not knowing how to "act like a real boy." And more than that, almost every movie features characters wanting to marry people that society says they shouldn't be with (I'm not going to go listing them all. Basically take your pick).

But like most stories, Disney movies can be read many different ways, regardless of what their creators may have intended. But given the popularity of these movies, it seems more likely that they're crafted to resonate with as many people, in as many different ways, as possible. A story about a social outcast who is shunned for the way they were born is a story that any number of minorities can identify with.

So maybe more than being pro any one particular group, Disney is just pro-acceptance?